Determinants of international emergency aid - humanitarian need only ?

The authors use an original data set covering more than 400 recent natural disasters to analyze the determinants of international emergency aid. Although humanitarian need is a major determinant of emergency relief payments, the results imply that political and strategic factors play a crucial role in the emergency aid allocation. On average, donor governments favor smaller, geographically closer, and oil exporting countries, and display significant biases in favor of politically less aligned countries as well as toward their former colonies. The authors also test and reject the independence of donors'aid decisions, finding strong evidence for bandwagon effects in humanitarian assistance.Hazard Risk Management,Natural Disasters,Disaster Management,Gender and Health,Development Economics&Aid Effectiveness

Be as careful of the books you read as of the company you keep: evidence on peer effects in educational choices

In this paper we investigate whether peers' behavior influences the choice of college major. Using a unique dataset of students at Bocconi University and exploiting the organization of teaching at this institution, we are able to identify the endogenous effect of peers on such decision through a novel identification strategy which solves the common econometric problems of studies of social interactions. Results show that, indeed, one is more likely to choose a major when many of her peers make the same choice. We estimate that, when it diverts students from majors in which they seem to have a relative ability advantage, this effect leads to lower average grades and graduation mark, a penalty that could cost up to 1,117 USD a year in the labor marke

Be as Careful of the Company You Keep as of the Books You Read: Peer Effects in Education and on the Labor Market

In this paper we investigate whether peers' behavior influences the choice of college major, thus contributing to the mismatch of skills in the labor market. Using a newly constructed dataset, we are able to identify the endogenous effect of peers on such decisions through a novel identification strategy that solves the common econometric problems of studies of social interactions. Results show that, indeed, one is more likely to choose a major when many of her peers make the same choice. We also provide evidence on skills mismatch in terms of entry wages and occupation. We find that peers can divert students from majors in which they have a relative ability advantage, with adverse consequences on academic performance, entry wages and job satisfaction.

In Silico Analysis of Nanoplastics' and β-amyloid Fibrils' Interactions

: Plastic pollution has become a global environmental threat, which leads to an increasing concern over the consequences of plastic exposition on global health. Plastic nanoparticles have been shown to influence the folding of proteins and influence the formation of aberrant amyloid proteins, therefore potentially triggering the development of systemic and local amyloidosis. This work aims to study the interaction between nanoplastics and β-amyloid fibrils to better understand the potential role of nanoplastics in the outbreak of neurodegenerative disorders. Using microsecond-long coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, we investigated the interactions between neutral and charged nanoparticles made of the most common plastic materials (i.e., polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) and β-amyloid fibrils. We observe that the occurrence of contacts, region of amyloid fibril involved, and specific amino acids mediating the interaction depend on the type and charge of the nanoparticles

Computational investigation of the haemodynamics shows criticalities of central venous lines used for chronic haemodialysis in children

Background: Haemodialysis is a life-saving treatment for children with kidney failure. The majority of children have haemodialysis through central venous lines (CVLs). The use of CVLs in pediatric patients is often associated to complications which can lead to their replacement. The aim of this study is to investigate haemodynamics of pediatric CVLs to highlight the criticalities of different line designs. Methods: Four models of CVLs for pediatric use were included in this study. The selected devices varied in terms of design and sizes (from 6.5 Fr to 14 Fr). Accurate 3D models of CVLs were reconstructed from high-resolution images including venous and arterial lumens, tips and side holes. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses were carried out to simulate pediatric working conditions of CVLs in ideal and anatomically relevant conditions. Results: The arterial lumens of all tested CVLs showed the most critical conditions with the majority of blood flowing through the side-holes. A zone of low flow was identified at the lines' tip. The highest shear stresses distribution (>10 Pa) was found in the 8 Fr line while the highest platelet lysis index in the 10 Fr model. The analysis on the anatomical geometry showed an increase in wall shear stress measured in the 10 F model compared to the idealised configuration. Similarly, in anatomical models an increased disturbance and velocity of the flow was found inside the vein after line placement. Conclusion: This study provided a numerical characterization of fluid dynamics in pediatric CVLs highlighting performance criticalities (i.e. high shear stresses and areas of stagnation) associated to specific sizes (8 Fr and 10 Fr) and conditions (i.e. anatomical test)

Smell and taste alterations in Covid-19: a cross-sectional analysis of different cohorts

Olfactory (OD) and gustatory (GD) dysfunction have been proven to be a typical symptom of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, their prevalence in different patient populations still needs to be clarified

Integrated Genomic, Functional, and Prognostic Characterization of Atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML) is a BCR-ABL1-negative clonal disorder, which belongs to the myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative group. This disease is characterized by recurrent somatic mutations in SETBP1, ASXL1 and ETNK1 genes, as well as high genetic heterogeneity, thus posing a great therapeutic challenge. To provide a comprehensive genomic characterization of aCML we applied a high-throughput sequencing strategy to 43 aCML samples, including both whole-exome and RNA-sequencing data. Our dataset identifies ASXL1, SETBP1, and ETNK1 as the most frequently mutated genes with a total of 43.2%, 29.7 and 16.2%, respectively. We characterized the clonal architecture of 7 aCML patients by means of colony assays and targeted resequencing. The results indicate that ETNK1 variants occur early in the clonal evolution history of aCML, while SETBP1 mutations often represent a late event. The presence of actionable mutations conferred both ex vivo and in vivo sensitivity to specific inhibitors with evidence of strong in vitro synergism in case of multiple targeting. In one patient, a clinical response was obtained. Stratification based on RNA-sequencing identified two different populations in terms of overall survival, and differential gene expression analysis identified 38 significantly overexpressed genes in the worse outcome group. Three genes correctly classified patients for overall survival

De novo UBE2A mutations are recurrently acquired during chronic myeloid leukemia progression and interfere with myeloid differentiation pathways

Despite the advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, a proportion of chronic myeloid leukemia patients in chronic phase fails to respond to Imatinib or to second generation inhibitors and progress to blast crisis. Limited improvements in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for chronic myeloid leukemia transformation from chronic phase to the aggressive blast crisis were achieved until now. We present here a massive parallel sequencing analysis of 10 blast crisis samples and of the corresponding autologous chronic phase controls which reveals, for the first time, recurrent mutations affecting the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2A gene (UBE2A, formerly RAD6A). Additional analyses on a cohort of 24 blast crisis, 41 chronic phase as well as 40 acute myeloid leukemia and 38 atypical chronic myeloid leukemia patients at onset confirmed that UBE2A mutations are specifically acquired during chronic myeloid leukemia progression with a frequency of 16.7% in advanced phases. In vitro studies show that the mutations here described cause a decrease in UBE2A activity, leading to an impairment of myeloid differentiation in chronic myeloid leukemia cells

Traian and the Danubian Provinces. The political, economic and religious life in the Danubian Provinces: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on the Roman Danubian Provinces, Zagreb, 15th - 17th November 2017.

The “Department of Archaeology“ of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb gladly hosted the 4th International Conference on the Roman Danubian Provinces in 2017. The Conference was organized with the support of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, the Croatian Archaeological Society, and the Croatian Science Foundation through the project 6505 Between the Danube and the Mediterranean. Exploring the role of Roman military in the mobility of people and goods in Croatia during the Roman Era. Since it was organized in Zagreb, the Conference remained in Pannonia, not far from Siscia, the capital of Pannonia Savia, and in the territory of the Res publica Andautoniensium. The main topic of the Conference was Traian and the Roman Danubian Provinces or, more specifically, the political, economic and religious life in the Danubian Provinces.(from the Foreword)The “Department of Archaeology“ of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb gladly hosted the 4th International Conference on the Roman Danubian Provinces in 2017. The Conference was organized with the support of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, the Croatian Archaeological Society, and the Croatian Science Foundation through the project 6505 Between the Danube and the Mediterranean. Exploring the role of Roman military in the mobility of people and goods in Croatia during the Roman Era. Since it was organized in Zagreb, the Conference remained in Pannonia, not far from Siscia, the capital of Pannonia Savia, and in the territory of the Res publica Andautoniensium. The main topic of the Conference was Traian and the Roman Danubian Provinces or, more specifically, the political, economic and religious life in the Danubian Provinces.(from the Foreword

Traian and the Danubian Provinces. The political, economic and religious life in the Danubian Provinces: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on the Roman Danubian Provinces, Zagreb, 15th - 17th November 2017.

The “Department of Archaeology“ of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb gladly hosted the 4th International Conference on the Roman Danubian Provinces in 2017. The Conference was organized with the support of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, the Croatian Archaeological Society, and the Croatian Science Foundation through the project 6505 Between the Danube and the Mediterranean. Exploring the role of Roman military in the mobility of people and goods in Croatia during the Roman Era. Since it was organized in Zagreb, the Conference remained in Pannonia, not far from Siscia, the capital of Pannonia Savia, and in the territory of the Res publica Andautoniensium. The main topic of the Conference was Traian and the Roman Danubian Provinces or, more specifically, the political, economic and religious life in the Danubian Provinces.(from the Foreword)The “Department of Archaeology“ of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb gladly hosted the 4th International Conference on the Roman Danubian Provinces in 2017. The Conference was organized with the support of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, the Croatian Archaeological Society, and the Croatian Science Foundation through the project 6505 Between the Danube and the Mediterranean. Exploring the role of Roman military in the mobility of people and goods in Croatia during the Roman Era. Since it was organized in Zagreb, the Conference remained in Pannonia, not far from Siscia, the capital of Pannonia Savia, and in the territory of the Res publica Andautoniensium. The main topic of the Conference was Traian and the Roman Danubian Provinces or, more specifically, the political, economic and religious life in the Danubian Provinces.(from the Foreword